On A Lighter Note: The Funniest Simpsons Moments (Part 1)

As bloggers will argue night and day about what is the best programme ever to be aired on television, it’s likely that The Simpsons will be missed out in favour of your Game Of Thrones and Breaking Bad though that shouldn’t be the case. While animation tends to get the cold shoulder when it comes to serious recognition, there aren’t many programmes like Matt Groening’s yellow cult classic hit. Back in July, I touched on all the times the show left us a little bit teary eyed though it’s the moments that left us clutching at our sides, bursting with laughter that we all tend to remember most fondly when thinking about one of the longest running sitcom on television. So without further ado, here are some of my picks for the funniest episodes and moments from The Simpsons that you just can’t stop quoting even decades after they were first aired…

Marge Vs The Monorail

An obvious choice to start things off with but when it’s constantly regarded as the best episode of the show, how could I not include Marge Vs The Monorail? Not only does it feature one of the best one off characters The Simpsons has ever provided in the form of a fast talking salesman called Lyle Lanley but it’s also full of some of the show’s funniest moments, including an amazing song that you’ll find nearly impossible to get out of your head.

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“Hey, a letter from my pen-pal, Anya.” “Dear Lisa, as I write this, I am very sad. Our President has been overthrown and…replaced, by the benevolent General Krull. All hail Krull, and his glorious regime. Sincerly… little girl.”

“My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot, a communist, but he is NOT a porn star!”

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Homer At The Bat

Much like the saddest episodes revolving around the titular family’s father, so to do the funniest episodes seem to occur when Homer is at the forefront of them and Homer At The Bat is no different. Mr Burns recruits a host of baseball stars to appear on the Nuclear Power Plant softball team after he makes a $1 million bet with the Shelbyville team and what follows is a hilarious mess that ends with an unconscious Homer being paraded as a hero and a serious case of gigantism.

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“When I grow up, I want to be a principal, or a caterpillar. I love you Principal Skinner.”

22 Short Films About Springfield

Arguably my favourite episode of the show laughs-wise, it’s no surprise that 22 Short Films About Springfield is a loose parody of Tarantino’s critically acclaimed Pulp Fiction. Following a bunch of intertwined stories that happen around town, the episode produced some of the most iconic scenes from the show, including the above aurora borealis/steamed hams sequence that is common fodder for Simpsons memes. Fun fact: this episode inspired Simpsons creator Matt Groening to come up with a concept of a possible spin-off series called Tales from Springfield though so far the only follow up we’ve had to it was the Futurama episode Three Hundred Big Boys.

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Homer: And Lisa. My little princess… And who could forget dear Ratboy!Bart: Ratboy!? I resent that.Marge: Bart I told you before, stop gnawing on the dry wall.

“Have you been up all night eating cheese?” “I think I’m blind.”

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Last Exit to Springfield

DENTAL PLAN. LISA NEEDS BRACES. DENTAL PLAN. LISA NEEDS BRACES. Last Exit To Springfield is one of the first episodes of The Simpsons I can remember frequently watching as a child, eventually getting to the stage where I bought Season 4 on DVD solely to stick it on. Simply starting off as an episode revolving around Homer becoming the leader of the power plant union, Last Exit to Springfield does what every perfect Simpsons episode does by bringing the laughs as well as the heart though the former is definitely delivered in bucket-loads.